Tom Brady has angered a number of his ex-Patriots teammates this week by saying he's not rooting for either team in Super Bowl LX. He's also annoyed a lot of New England fans, including Bill Simmons, who went off on the legendary quarterback and also offered a suggestion on how he should fix this matter.
Brady, of course, won six Super Bowls in his 20 years with New England. The franchise quickly put Brady in its Hall of Fame after he retired and then put up a statue of him that stands just outside the entrance of Gillette Stadium.
So it would be understandable if the now announcer and minority owner of the Raiders would be pulling for the Patriots to win their seventh Super Bowl this Sunday when they take on the Seahawks in Santa Clara.
Instead, he said this when asked about his rooting interests:
“I don’t have a dog in the fight in this one,” Brady told Jim Gray. “May the best team win. In terms of the Patriots, this is a new chapter in New England, and I’m glad everyone’s embraced the Mike Vrabel regime, all the amazing players that have worked so hard to get their club to this position. We did it for 20 years. There was a little bit of a hiatus in there, but the Patriots are back and it’s a very exciting time for everyone in New England.”
Simmons, one of the most well-known Boston sports fans in the world, had this to say about Brady's Super Bowl take.
“I tried not to take it personally when Tom Brady said he didn’t have a dog in this race for the Super Bowl between the Patriots and the Seahawks, even though he played for the Patriots for 20 years, won six Super Bowls for the Patriots,” Simmons said on Instagram. “There’s a statue of Tom Brady outside the stadium where the Patriots play. Seems relevant, guess he doesn’t remember that.”
Simmons went on to talk about how Patriots fans not only rooted their hearts out for Brady during his days in New England but they also defended him during the Deflategate scandal and then cheered for him to win a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers after his run with the Patriots came to a sad end.
“It’s like he’s gone out of his way to make it seem like he just passed through (New England) for two decades,” Simmons continued. “And the danger of this, is that for Patriots fans who would have defended him against everybody…he’s at risk of that getting a little frosty.”
Simmons then offered some simple advice for Brady on how to fix this situation and make things right with Patriots fans.
“My advice would be for him to come out and say I love the Patriots fanbase," Simmons said. "Bob Kraft is like a family member to me. I’ve been really impressed by Drake Maye. I’d love to see the Patriots win another Super Bowl because I know how much it would mean to everybody in New England. Just say that. This stuff isn’t hard, Tom Brady. Come on.”
Simmons is right, this shouldn't be a hard thing for Brady to do. People would understand that his history with the franchise could lead to him cheering on the Patriots in the Super Bowl. It would have no impact on his broadcasting career and Raiders fans surely wouldn't care at all if he offered his support for his former team.
Brady seemingly always came up clutch during his legendary career. But he fumbled this one away. It will be interesting to see if he tries to backtrack at all in the last few days before the game or if he'll just let his empty message from earlier this week stand.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bill Simmons Rips Tom Brady for Saying He’s Not Rooting for Patriots in Super Bowl LX.
